Background and career
Matthew Kelly Barnes (born March 9, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted in the second round of the 2002 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies and won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors in his final season in the league in 2017. Barnes is currently a basketball analyst for ESPN as well as NBC Sports California for Sacramento Kings games, and also hosts a popular podcast.
Barnes was born in Santa Clara, California, to an Italian mother and an African American father. He attended Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks, California, where he was a letterman in football and basketball. Barnes earned All-American, All-State, All-CIF, All-City, and All-League honors in each sport. Barnes played four seasons of college basketball at UCLA, where he was an All-Pacific-10 Honorable Mention selection in 2001.
Barnes was selected with the 46th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2002 NBA draft, and was immediately traded, along with Nick Anderson, to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Wesley Person. The Cavaliers assigned Barnes for the NBA D-League, and he joined the Fayetteville Patriots for the 2002–03 season.
Barnes signed with the Long Beach Jam of the ABA for their inaugural season in 2003, where he played with Dennis Rodman. The team went 24–7 and won the ABA championship. Barnes averaged 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds.
Barnes signed a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers for the second half of the 2003–04 NBA season.
In October 2004, Barnes signed with the Sacramento Kings. He made his debut for the Kings recording 17 points and nine rebounds, establishing himself as a key rotation player for Sacramento. Barnes was traded halfway through the 2004–05 season along with Chris Webber to the Philadelphia 76ers, in exchange for Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson and Brian Skinner. Barnes did not suit up for Philadelphia that season while recovering from a knee tendinitis, and was given an injury release.
